


A Rightful Place of Wrath

by seacliffs



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Adam being bad at feelings but trying, Boyfriends, M/M, Protective Adam, let's just agree Maeve is back at the school and not explain it, tw for past non-consensual sex (not between main pairing)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-16 09:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18688429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seacliffs/pseuds/seacliffs
Summary: Adam strides through the school hallway with purpose at speed-walking pace, the embodiment of the phrase 'on the warpath.' His face is as impassive as usual, but his jaw is clenched tightly, hinting at a deeper anger. Students press against the lockers to keep out of his way.





	A Rightful Place of Wrath

Adam strides through the school hallway with purpose at speed-walking pace, the embodiment of the phrase 'on the warpath.' His face is as impassive as usual, but his jaw is clenched tightly, hinting at a deeper anger. Students press against the lockers to keep out of his way. 

It becomes clear who he's heading for once the person is in his sight, because he begins to break into a run. A Swedish exchange student, walking arm in arm with Anwar, both looking at their phones. Both boys turn around when they hear Adam thundering towards them, and the exchange student opens his mouth to defend himself but before he can get a word out, Adam has shoved him with both hands as hard as he can, carrying with him all the momentum from not slowing down. 

The kid flies backwards and lands on his ass on the linoleum floor. Everyone else in the hall is frozen, watching the spectacle play out before them. Adam stands over his prone form, looking down, fists clenched, chest heaving and face still blank except for the fury in his eyes. "It wasn't me, I didn't take the pictures, " the kid babbles, and Adam leans down with the intention of doing much more serious damage when Headmaster Groff calls out his name. 

"You haven't even made it through your first month back from Mountview," the headmaster intones, "you can't possibly miss it so much that you want to be sent back." It's enough to stop Adam from going through with further violence.

Whatever the exchange student's transgression is, it's bad enough that even Headmaster Groff goes on to say, "However, due to the...extenuating circumstances, I can understand your actions."

Adam backs away enough for the kid to push himself up. The headmaster fixes the student with a hard look. "You. My office, now. And you – " he gestures at Adam – "that was your one and only pass. No more fighting for the rest of the semester, or you will be immediately rejoining military school."

He marches the student to his office and, with nothing left to do but glare at Anwar, Adam walks off back down the hallway in the direction he came from.

[Cut to: abandoned toilet block.]

Adam approaches and Maeve, who's smoking a fag whilst keeping watch outside, positions herself so she's slightly blocking him from going in. "Maybe you should let Otis handle this."

"Fuck you, and fuck New Kid too," Adam replies. If Otis was capable of handling things, if he had handled things while Adam was away, then this wouldn't even be happening.

He barges past her and inside, sitting on some broken slabs of stone, Otis has his arms wrapped around Eric while saying comforting things Adam can't hear from where he stands.

Otis looks up and makes eye contact with Adam, glaring at him for a second before jerking his head toward Eric. Eric isn't quite crying, although his face is wet. He's not saying anything at the moment, but the way he's wringing his hands shows he's working his way up to a full-blown panic. 

Adam is worse than useless. He has no idea what to do. His knuckles ache with the desire to pound closed fists endlessly into the face of the student who posted those photos for the school to see, and the face of the kid who took the photos in the first place, and most especially the face of the person in the photos taking advantage of an obviously drunk Eric. 

He stands too far away from Otis and Eric, grinding his teeth while he watches Eric's shoulders shake. Eric starts talking, babbling—catastrophizing, really—about how he couldn't let this get back to his parents, they would be so disappointed and so hurt, and now the whole school knows and maybe he'll have to talk to that boy from the party now, maybe he'll have to see him again and confront him, but he doesn't want to, but what if he does this to someone else and then it'll be all his fault, maybe the police will want to talk to him then, and he definitely wouldn't be able to keep that from his parents…

Otis shushes him and assures him that won't happen, that it's not his fault and he won't have to do anything he doesn't want to.

Adam looks away, out a broken window and mentally composes a list of reasons he shouldn't hunt down that boy from the party. It doesn't make the desire to do so go away. He itches for a cigarette but quitting had been another of his dad's conditions if he wanted to come back.

"Hey, Maeve?" Otis calls out loudly, interrupting Eric's tirade and startling Adam back into looking at them. "Can you come in here and keep Eric company for a moment while I talk to Adam?"

Maeve stomps in and sits gracelessly next to Eric. Even she manages to be more comforting than Adam, grabbing one of Eric's hands without asking and holding it between both of hers.

Otis drags Adam back outside by the elbow. Adam stares at where Otis's fingers grip his sleeve and then stares pointedly at his face, raising his eyebrows threateningly. Otis hurriedly drops his hand and backs a step away, putting a little distance between them. 

Despite the fact that he clearly still finds Adam somewhat frightening, it doesn't stop him from giving Adam an ultimatum about how he's utterly failing Eric right now. 

"As soon as I'm done yelling at you, you're going back in there and putting your arm around his shoulder, or your hand on his knee, or even just a pat on his shoulder for Christ's sake. You're supposed to be his _boyfriend_. I know you're a pretty shit one but can you act like you're not for just a second?"

Adam doesn't bother replying, but he does turn around to go inside. Otis is annoying, but he's right. He forces himself to walk all the way to Eric this time, and Maeve rolls her eyes at him but gets up, trading spots with him so he can sit next to Eric while she goes back outside.

It's awkward. Adam doesn't have much experience with softness, and he's not doing a good job of offering it now. He drapes an arm across Eric's back and strokes his fingers over Eric's arm where they rest. It's good enough to make Eric lean his body against Adam's.

"Well, at least now I'm not the only one in this relationship who's been exposed to the whole school," Adam says, and immediately winces at himself. _What the fuck, Groff?_. He knows it's not nearly the same, it was his own choice to pull his trousers down, and no part of any of this had been Eric's choice.

Eric's head against Adam's shoulder doesn't move. "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that and give you one more chance to start over," he says.

Fair enough, and more than Adam deserves. He tries to think of a better thing to say, the right thing to say, almost wishes Otis would come back in so he can give him a hint about what to say. But he stays outside, probably thinking giving them privacy would help. Adam's not sure it does. All he has to give Eric is the truth. "Tell me you honestly don't want me to find him and murder him, because that's the only way I won't." 

Eric shifts then, but Adam doesn't look at him. "Adam. Don't."

"Even if you tell me not to, I might still do it."

"Adam, I'm serious."

"So am I."

Eric's hand grips Adam's jaw and turns him so he has no choice but to look into his eyes. They're wet, eyeliner smudged like bruises along the bottom lashes. Adam could stare at him all day, even when he looks a mess. "If you do anything stupid, forget military school, you're getting sent to prison. I've missed you enough already, I don't need to miss you more." The volume of his voice drops for a quiet admission: "I need you here."

It's soppier than Adam tolerates, but he lets Eric hold him there for another beat before he tips his head out of his grip. "Fine," he agrees. It had happened while Adam was away at Mountview. If he hadn't been away, Eric wouldn't have been quite so drunk at a party. Eric wouldn't have been left by himself while Otis was drunk as well in another part of the house. No one would have dared lay a hand on Eric if Adam had been around. 

The immediate threat of Adam killing someone in cold blood now neutralized, Eric slumps forward, dropping his forehead against Adam's chest. Adam allows it. He lifts his other hand and cups the back of Eric's head, running his thumb over the hair at the base of his skull softly. The shudder that goes through Eric tells him he probably should have done it sooner. 

He doesn't know how long they stay like that, but Maeve and Otis eventually come in to tell them they should probably go back to classes.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to continue writing but I don't fully know what happens next. Let me know if you would be interested in reading more!


End file.
